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William Blair Investment Management LLC invests $49.67 million in ESAB Corporation $ESAB. August 22, 2026 Key points. * William Blair Investment Management acquired 503,632 ESAB shares worth approximately $49.67 million, representing about 0.81% of the company. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 91.13% of ESAB. * ESAB's latest quarterly revenue rose 12.9% year over year to $807.63 million, beating estimates, although adjusted earnings of $1.33 per share fell short of the $1.37 consensus forecast. The company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $5.40-$5.50. * Analysts maintain a generally positive view, with seven Buy ratings and one Hold, producing a "Moderate Buy" consensus and a $138.14 average price target. Shares recently traded at $81.49, while a company director sold 1,000 shares at $95 each. * Five stocks we like better than ESAB. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in ESAB Corporation (NYSE:ESAB - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 503,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $49,673,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned about 0.81% of ESAB as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ESAB. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC acquired a new position in ESAB during the 2nd quarter worth about $36,547,000. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of ESAB in the 2nd quarter valued at about $524,533,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of ESAB in the second quarter valued at about $703,000. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ESAB in the second quarter valued at about $56,678,000. Finally, Diamond Hill Capital Management LLC Investment Advisor acquired a new stake in shares of ESAB in the second quarter valued at about $51,843,000. 91.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Insider transactions at ESAB. In other ESAB news, Director Rhonda L. Jordan sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total value of $95,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $95,000. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 7.20% of the company's stock. ESAB price performance. Shares of NYSE ESAB opened at $81.49 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.19. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $90.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. ESAB Corporation has a 1-year low of $77.34 and a 1-year high of $137.42. Discover more Company News Stocks & Bonds Financial Markets News ESAB (NYSE:ESAB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.04). ESAB had a net margin of 5.75% and a return on equity of 14.48%. The firm had revenue of $807.63 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $755.64 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.36 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. ESAB has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.400-5.500 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that ESAB Corporation will post 5.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Wall Street analysts forecast growth. A number of research firms recently commented on ESAB. Roth Capital lifted their price objective on ESAB from $142.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on shares of ESAB from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of ESAB in a report on Monday, June 15th. They set a "buy" rating and a $130.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of ESAB from $141.00 to $137.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of ESAB from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.14. ESAB company profile. ESAB Corporation is a global leader in welding, cutting and gas control technologies, offering a comprehensive portfolio of equipment, consumables and automation solutions. The company's products include welding power sources, cutting machines, torches, electrodes, filler metals and gas regulating equipment designed to meet the needs of diverse industries. ESAB serves sectors such as construction, shipbuilding, automotive, energy, infrastructure and manufacturing, providing both standard and customized solutions to enhance productivity and quality in metal fabrication and processing. Founded in 1904 by Swedish inventor Oscar Kjellberg, ESAB pioneered the development of coated welding electrodes, laying the groundwork for modern welding practices. Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ESAB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for ESAB Corporation (NYSE:ESAB - Free Report). This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected]. Continue following MarketBeat Before you consider ESAB, you'll want to hear this. 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ESAB Corporation reported record total core sales and adjusted EBITDA in Q2 2026, driven by double-digit growth in automation and equipment. The company successfully transformed its portfolio mix, with equipment now comprising over 50% of revenue, up from 38% historically, expanding gross margins by approximately 500 basis points. ESAB closed the Eddyfi acquisition ahead of schedule, positioning itself as a global leader in inspection and monitoring technologies. The company raised its full-year 2026 outlook to $3bn–$3.1bn in total core sales, assuming organic growth of 2%–4%. The Middle East operations, representing 7%–8% of total business, saw volumes decline 10%–11% due to regional conflict. ESAB experienced transitory margin pressure from increased logistics and commodity costs, which management expects to address through pricing and cost-reduction activities. Eddyfi is anticipated to be dilutive to neutral in Q4 2026 before becoming accretive in 2027.

ESAB reported Q2 CY2026 results that exceeded revenue expectations but fell short on profit. The welding and cutting equipment manufacturer posted sales of $807.6 million, up 12.9% year on year and beating analyst estimates of $787.2 million by 2.6%. However, non-GAAP profit of $1.33 per share missed consensus estimates of $1.37 by 3%. Full-year adjusted EPS guidance of $5.45 at the midpoint also came in below expectations by 4.4%. The company's operating margin declined to 9.7% from 15.2% in the prior-year quarter. Free cash flow margin also dropped to 1.9% from 5.2% year on year. Organic revenue rose 2.5% year on year, surpassing expectations.